My World: Aishi
by PrincessRubyAi
Summary: Aishi Uzumaki has had a really hard life, having the kyubi sealed inside her and her brother, getting sealed in a cave and taking down a evil organization. Her life's about to get harder after returning to her village after 2 years.NejixAishi SasukexAkina
1. Return Home

Hi everyone, this is an idea my friend and I came up with. We both wrote the same story from our character's points of view. This is the one I wrote from Aishi's view. Hope you all enjoy it, review please.

Many years ago, back in the land of ninja and demons, a nine-tailed demon fox called Kyuubi appeared. One swing of its mighty tail could crumble mountains and cause tsunamis. To fight this demon the villagers summoned all of their ninjas. Even with all their strength, many lives were lost. Finally one brave ninja was able to seal up the demon, at the cost of his own life. This ninja was the Fourth Hokage.

The two girls stood on a hill over looking the hidden leaf village. Konoha was the older girl's home, and she had missed it dearly when they had left two years ago. The two girls had decided to wait until morning to enter, so she did her best to ignore the longing to go in.

"Aishi-neechan, are you sure its okay to wait until morning?" the younger girl asked, stepping away from the tree line, and stood on her tiptoes, trying to get a better look at the village she'd heard so much about.

"I'm sure, Akina, it'll be better that way," Aishi replied calmly, but her orange and white fox ears drooped anxiously.

"If you say so, I'm sure you're right. I just want to meet everyone I've heard about – I feel like I know them already! What I don't understand is how you _can_ wait to see them, especially Neji," Akina teased, elbowing Aishi.

Aishi's fox ears and matching fox tail shot straight up, and she punched her friend softly before turning away to hide her blushing face. _Am I really that obvious?_ She wondered. _But I really have missed him_…_it has been two years_.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he'll be glad to see you, too," Akina giggled. "Maybe he'll even give you a hug."

"I doubt it, he's not the kind to show his feelings that way," Aishi answered through a smile. _I wish it were that simple, but really you have to know the feelings are there to see them_.

"You know best, but after the bajillion stories I've heard a hug wouldn't be that surprising," Akina teased.

"You think?" Aishi asked, blushing slightly.

"Of course!" Akina nodded emphatically, her silver eyes shining mischievously.

"Then it'll definitely happen," Aishi said, grinning at her friend.

"Good, now that that's settled, I'm going to grab a little sleep. Wake me up when it's time to go, 'kay?" Akina said, waving as she walked back under the trees.

Aishi waved goodnight to her friend; she could vaguely make out Akina's faded blue hair in the distance. Aishi smiled to herself and sat down on the edge of the hill. She pulled out her flute and began to play. The melody filled the night air and seemed to flow down into the village below her, to one house in particular.

Neji was lying in bed, unable to sleep, when he heard the melody playing faintly in the night. He got up and opened his window, trying to figure out where it was coming from. The melody seemed both very near and far away. The notes played with themselves and spoke of sadness but still held a tone of sweetness in it. The song seemed to flow into him, and with it a memory. Before he could enjoy the sweet memory the melody faded away, confirming the idea his sleepless mind had formed. He frowned bitterly but stayed at the window, thinking as the sun crept into the sky.

Aishi put down her flute and looked down at the village. She smiled and looked up at the sky, its early morning pinks and oranges reflected in her wine-colored eyes. _Ne-kun…I'm home_. She held her hand over her heart as if making a wish on the slowly fading moon; the morning breeze blew her long orange hair as if welcoming her home. _Finally, I'm finally home! Naruto, Ne-kun, everyone just wait! _"Wake up, Akina! It's time to go meet everyone!" Aishi yelled excitedly.

"Geez, Aishi," Akina mumbled, sitting up and stretching. "I think you woke the whole village up with that one…"

"Then that saves us trouble having to wake them up when we get there, doesn't it? Come on, Hokage-sama will be expecting us," she laughed, walking down to the village.

A few minutes later the girls were seated in the Third Hokage's office while he greeted them. "Welcome home, Aishi; I have missed you. I can tell you've grown in the two years you've been gone. It's nice to meet you as well, Akina. Am I correct in assuming you two would like to become genin this year rather than being sent to the academy?" the Third Hokage asked warmly.

"Hai!" both girls exclaimed in unison.

"Okay, you'll both need to pass a set of three tests in front of the other graduating students this afternoon, but that shouldn't be a problem after everything you've been through already. Until then I'm sure you'd like to great your brother and friends, correct Aishi?" the Third asked smiling.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama! I'm glad to be home!" Aishi exclaimed, hugging her mentor tightly.

"We have missed you as well, Aishi. Off you go; everyone else would like to see you. I look forward to seeing what you girls have learned," the Third replied, dismissing them.

Aishi led Akina through the town to the Academy, then through the halls as they tried to figure out the right classroom.

"This should be it…" she murmured, opening one of the many identical doors. The two girls were greeted with curious stares and a startled Iruka-sensei.

"Everyone, I'm baaaaaaack!" Aishi beamed, walking into the room.

"Aishi!" Naruto exclaimed jumping over the desk, seizing his older sister in a death grip. "I've missed you sis, believe it!" he exclaimed. Akina smiled and calmly went over to sit on the windowsill.

"I've missed you too, Naruto, but I need air!" Aishi gasped.

"Heh, sorry," Naruto said, releasing her, only to have her crowded by half the class, mostly boys. There was a chorus of welcome backs and good to see yous.

"I've missed you all too; you all look so much stronger. We'll have to have rematches so I can see just how strong you've gotten," Aishi said through the large group hug.

"Welcome back," Hinata said once the excitement was over. Aishi smiled and hugged her best friend.

"Ne, Aishi? Can I guess who people are now?" Akina asked, pushing herself off the windowsill and walking to the center of the room.

"Of course," Aishi grinned. "Everyone, this is Akina. She's been my traveling companion for two years."

Akina smiled. "Nice to meet you all. Now then. _You—_" She walked over to Naruto and poked him somewhat forcefully in the forehead, jeweled bracelets clinking softly as she did. "—must be Uzumaki Naruto. I've heard plenty of stories about you; no need to worry, they were mostly good." Naruto grinned, completely missing the implications of her comment. "The one who looks like he's about to die of boredom is Nara Shikamaru; the chip fanatic next to him is Akimichi Chouji. Those two are Inuzuka Kiba and Akamaru, and this is Hyuuga Hinata…" She walked back toward the window and stood in front of the desk of the only student who hadn't moved since they walked in. "And _this_ anti-social child must be the famous Uchiha Sasuke," she said flicking him between his eyes before turning and walking back to where Aishi stood. "So how did I do?" she asked ignoring the glaring fan girls.

"You got everyone right, not surprising, after all he stories I've told," Aishi replied grinning.

Iruka cleared his throat and everyone went silent. "We're glad you're back, Aishi, but before you got here, I was about to announce the team assignments. If you don't mind, I'd like to finish that," Iruka-sensei said, composed except for his smile, which gave away his happiness.

"Of course, Iruka-sensei," Aishi said, following Akina to the windowsill.

"Beginning today, all of you are ninjas. But you are still merely rookie genin; the hard part has just started. Now you will be assigned duties by the village. So today we will be creating the three man teams and each will have a Jounin sensei. You will follow your sensei's instructions as you complete the assigned duties. We tried to balance each team's strength. The Hokage has sent me word that our two new arrivals Aishi and Akina will be placed on one of the teams if they pass their test this afternoon," Iruka-sensei explained.

"You mean if they pass they'll be ninja, too?!" a fan girl asked disgustedly.

"Hai, that will be the case," Iruka replied giving the girl a disapproving look.

"But that's not fair! They haven't even trained!" the girl whined.

"If you doubt our abilities, then you can be one of our challengers in this test," Aishi said, glaring at the girl. "You can say whatever you want about me; I'm used to it, but I don't want you to give Akina a bad impression of our village just because you need a life," she said, silencing the girl.

"Ouch," Akina whispered as Aishi sat back down.

"What can I say? Fan girls bother me," Aishi smiled, back to her usual self.

"In that case, sensei, can my sister Kipacha be Aishi's opponent? After all, I'm sure they'd love the chance to catch up," the girl asked sweetly. _Poor Sasuke and Ne-kun, they have to deal with these girls everyday_._ No wonder they aren't friendly to most girls._ Aishi thought remember all the times Kipacha had tried to hurt her for talking to 'her' Neji. Everytime Neji just told Kipacha to back off, not that it ever stopped her.

"I'll ask Hokage-sama," Iruka answered, sounding irritated. "Now back to the team assignments. Team 7! Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto—" Iruka began.

"Yes!" Naruto yelled, jumping up, while Sakura hung her head.

"—and Uchiha Sasuke," Iruka paused.

"Heck yes!" Sakura exclaimed, while Naruto hung his head.

"Team 8! Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba and Hyuuga Hinata. Team 10! Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino, and Akimichi Chouji," Iruka finished.

"Iruka-sensei!! Why does an outstanding ninja like me have to be on the same team as _that_ guy?!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing at Sasuke.

"Sasuke's grades were first among 27 students; Naruto, _you_ were dead last. We have to do this to balance the teams, understand?" Iruka asked bluntly.

"Just don't get in my way, dead last…" Sasuke said flatly.

"What did you call me?!" Naruto yelled.

"Naruto, calm down. It's okay, just prove them wrong with hard work and your skills," Aishi said firmly but gently.

"Hai nee-chan, I'll make everyone acknowledge me through my skills as a great ninja, believe it!" Naruto exclaimed throwing his fists in the air. _Yep, he has changed a little while I've been gone. Though I somehow get the feeling I'll always have to be his babysitter, _Aishi thought, smiling as she remembered all the times she'd had to get Naruto out of trouble or pay off damages.

"Okay, this afternoon after Aishi and Akina's test you will all meet your Jounin sensei. Until then, the rest of you are free to go. Aishi, Akina, come with me to Hokage-sama's office so we can explain your test," Iruka said, dismissing the class.

"Hai, Iruka-sensei," Aishi said as Akina nodded. Both girls got up off the windowsill and followed him toward the door.

"Aishi," Sasuke said suddenly.

"Eh? Did you need something?" Aishi asked, concerned.

"Welcome back," Sasuke said without moving.

Aishi stared at him for a few seconds before breaking into a giant grin and hugging him. "Thank you!" she said letting him go a moment later. "I'm really glad you didn't forget about me or something." Sasuke looked slightly annoyed but didn't respond. "We have to go to Hokage-sama's office now; later we can eat the lunch you owe me," Aishi said, grinning.

"You remember that?" Sasuke asked in disbelief.

"Hai, of course I remember! We tied in our bet, so that means you still owe me lunch. Besides I'd like to find out what I've missed while I've been gone. See you later," Aishi waved, and Sasuke half smiled as she left the room.

"So what was all that about?" Akina asked, amused, as they walked down the halls.

"We made a bet a few days before I got sealed in that cave about who was better at target practice and genjutsu. The loser would buy the winner lunch. We tied; I won genjutsu, and he won target practice. So we both owed the other a lunch," Aishi explained.

"Wish I could have seen that," Akina laughed.

Within a few moments the two girls were once again sitting in the Hokage's office as he explained the test to them. "This test will determine whether you will become genin or students at the academy. As I told you earlier, there will be three parts. First you will take a written test, second a practical test designed to test your knowledge of basic jutsu, and third a combat test with one of the current genin. I've heard your opponents have already been decided," he chuckled. "Do either of you have any questions before we begin?" he asked. Both girls shook their heads and he continued. "Enough talk, then. You will now take the written test; when you finish we will gather everyone for the other sections,"

"Good luck," Iruka said, handing them their tests.

"Arigatou, Iruka-sensei," Aishi said warmly. "Don't worry about us; we can handle it,"

"Definitely," Akina agreed smiling.

Within about five minutes both girls had finished the test with little effort and no trouble.

"That was really easy," Akina said, as they walked down a path through the village. "I expected it to be harder."

"Hai, it wasn't bad at all. Especially since I already did all the Academy work while I was stuck in that cave," Aishi mumbled to herself. "Hey, why don't we go see Neji and his team? We have a few minutes before the second test!" she said excitedly.

"Why not?" Akina grinned. She noticed a pair of ninja talking farther down the path. "Hey, isn't that Sasuke and that Sakura girl?" she asked pointing in their direction.

"Yeah," Aishi replied, pausing.

"Oh! Sasuke-kun, you're so shy. Are you ready now? I sure am!!!!" Sakura exclaimed shrilly. Aishi's ears twitched in pain and she visibly winced. _Man, that girl has a loud voice. That hurt! It seems to be a requirement for fan girls; those poor, poor boys,_ Aishi thought, shaking her head slightly.

"Where's Naruto? It's time to go to Aishi and that new girl's test," Sasuke asked, ignoring her.

"Hey, don't change the subject…who cares about Naruto? All he does is get in fights with you!! At least his sister Aishi isn't so bad; at least _she_ knows her place," Sakura said, nodding her head in agreement with herself. Aishi twitched, slightly annoyed. She didn't care when people said bad stuff about her; she'd gotten used to that. However, when people said stuff about her brother it really annoyed her. _He has good points, too! No one in this village even tries to notice. Why does Naruto like her again? Hinata's better for him_… "Well, they haven't had normal childhoods; they don't have any parents. They can do whatever they want. If _I_ acted like Naruto, my parents would get so mad at me. They're so lucky, parents never getting on to them," Sakura continued with her "perfect" logic, completely missing the glare Sasuke was giving her.

"That's why Naruto can never behave and Aishi spends all her time training. All alone, the sadness of having a parent yell at you is nothing compared to what they feel. You should be quiet, you're annoying," Sasuke said coldly before walking off, leaving behind a very stunned Sakura.

_Thank you, Sasuke; it's nice when other people stand up for us, intentional or not, though it was a little harsh for Sakura_... "Come on, Akina, let's go. Ne-kun should be at the training field about now," Aishi said, returning to the path. Akina nodded and followed her.

In a few moments the girls were walking into the training fields. They could see Neji and Lee sparing in the distance, and Ten-ten was leaning on a tree watching. When Lee saw them his eyes went wide and he barely missed a punch from Neji. He stopped moving and stared at them. Neji turned around and followed his gaze, and staring in disbelief and wondering if he was dreaming again. _Ne-kun_... Aishi ran forward only to be tackled by Lee and Ten-ten.

"Welcome back!!" they exclaimed at the same time.

"I've missed you guys," Aishi said, hugging them back.

"No fair, Aishi, you look like you've learned lots of new techniques. You'll have to teach me," Ten-ten teased her.

"Only if you teach me yours," Aishi replied, laughing. "Guys, this is my friend Akina. She's been traveling with me since I left."

"Nice to meet you." Akina smiled, and Lee and Ten-ten nodded warmly at her.

"Aishi, we must have a rematch! No matter how strong you've gotten it can't quench my fighting spirit!" Lee exclaimed with fire in his eyes.

Aishi and Akina both burst out laughing. _Yep, same old Lee; I'm so glad to be home_. Aishi turned and walked toward Neji. She paused, smiled, and hugged him. For a few seconds it looked like he was going to return the embrace when he pushed her off of him. Aishi stared up at him, shocked and deeply hurt by his response.

"I don't know why you bothered to come back here," he said coldly. "But you shouldn't have. Everything that happened in the past should stay there. Fate has carved a different path for each of us; you are nothing but a rival to me now, and I don't want to see you unless I have to." He gave Aishi a look of near-hatred. _N-ne-kun, why_..._? What did I do to make you hate me_..._? Did something terrible happen while I was gone_..._? It was my fault_..._ If I was here I-I could have helped you_... Aishi sunk to her knees, her thoughts spinning with all her questions and emotions.

"Who do you think you are?!" Akina demanded marching over to him, shaking with wrath. "Do you have any idea how long Aishi's waited to see you again? I've been with her for a little over two years now, and let me tell you, almost the whole time, it's been 'Neji this' and 'Neji that'- she couldn't wait to get back and see you again! She wanted to show you everything she'd learned, to see how much you'd grown- and then she finally gets back, only to find out you _hate_ her now?! You intolerable, short sighted, self-righteous prick!" She paused momentarily to allow Neji to respond; he remained silent and her fist collided with his nose. Aishi looked up slowly at the sound of the crunch, but she was still mostly dead to the world around her. _Ne-kun_..._ I should help him, but_..._ I'm probably the last person he wants help from right now._ She gazed at the blood running down Neji's face. "How dare you hurt her like that… she never wanted anything but the best for you!"

"Akina-san, you must stop!" Lee yelled, restraining Akina by the arms while Ten-ten ran over to Aishi.

"Lee, Akina… please stop… please don't hurt Ne-ku-… Neji anymore," Aishi said, unable to hide the pain in her voice; tears streaming down her face. Neji momentarily looked pained when he saw Aishi's face, but it was soon replaced by his usual mask. Aishi shakily got to her feet and slowly walked away, pausing for a moment. "Neji…I'm sorry for any pain I've caused you…" She continued walking.

Aishi wandered around lost in her thoughts until she choose a random place to sit down. _I remember this place_..._This is where I first met Neji_... She looked around the small park at the children playing as the memory came back to her.

_That game looks fun, and everyone's smiling, I wish I could join in, _a small Aishi thought as she watched the other children play with a ball. One of the boys kicked it, and it bounced toward her. _Maybe now I can play, too! _She smiled, picked it up, and held it up to them.

"Great, _she_ touched the ball. Now what are we going to do?" asked one of the children.

"Let's go down to the river! Come on!" one answered, and they all took off, leaving Aishi in the dust.

"Wait! Please! I want to… come too…" The final words died as she said them because the children were gone. _Why does no one want to play with me? Am I sick? Do I embarrass them?_ She dropped the ball and sat on a shaded rock.

A little ways away Neji watched the whole thing curiously. "Dad, why does everyone run from that girl?" he asked.

"They are afraid of her because she's different; her ears and tail scare them. They treat her like a disease so they won't end up like her," Hizashi answered.

"But her ears and tail are cute. I'm going to go play with her," Neji said, running over.

Aishi was about to leave when a hand appeared in front of her face. She looked up, surprised, and met a pair of white eyes. "You're the girl who's always alone, right?" he asked.

"H-hai," she answered, confused.

"Since neither of us have any friends, let's be friends! I'm Hyuuga Neji!" He extended his hand to her.

_He's going to be my friend!_ She looked at him, surprised, then smiled warmly. "I'm Uzumaki Aishi." She took his hand, and he dragged her over to the swings, where they played together.

"Aishi, your name mean sad story, doesn't it?" Neji asked.

"Yes, it does," she answered from her swing.

"That's too sad for someone nice like you. I'm going to call you Ai," he smiled, proud of himself.

"Then I'm going to call you Ne-kun," she laughed. "Arigatou, Ne-kun, it's nice to have someone to play with,"

"You've never had anyone at all?!" he asked, surprised.

"I have my brother, Naruto, but he likes to be by himself sometimes."

"So you eat snacks alone everyday?!" he asked, wide-eyed.

"Hai," she answered softly.

"That's too sad; come on!" Neji exclaimed, jumping off his swing and dragging her away.

"Where are we going?" she asked, running along.

"To eat a snack, so you'll have eaten it with someone," he answered.

A few moments later the two sat down munching on takoyaki. "This is really good!" Aishi grinned.

"Food tastes better with friends," Neji replied, smiling. Aishi returned his smile whole-heartedly.

_He was my first friend_... Aishi thought as she drifted back to reality. She held her small ruby necklace up to the sun. Neji had given it to her as a sign of their friendship; since then, she'd never taken it off, no matter what. She looked past her necklace and saw the small takoyaki shop. She wiped the tears from her face and slowly went over to buy one. She took a small bite. "It tastes bitter…" she whispered.

"Of course, food never tastes good when you're crying!" Ten-ten said popping up next to her.

"What are you guys doing here?" Aishi asked surprised.

"We're here to cheer you up silly," Akina answered.

"It's not good for you to be so upset!" Lee declared. "If you take your test like this, it will be almost impossible to pass. You must use the power of youth!!"

Aishi half-smiled at them _I made them all worry about me_... "Thank you everyone, I'm not going to make you worry anymore," She smiled and stood. _Ne-kun, wait for me. Someday I'll get to the place you are and then you won't be ashamed to have a friend like me. I'll make up for all the pain I've caused you and then maybe then we can be friends again_... She held up her necklace and closed her hand around it. "Come on its time for the test!" She grabbed Akina, Ten-ten and Lee and pulled them along. Lee and Ten-ten smiled, but Akina still looked worried.

Minutes later, Aishi and Akina were standing opposite Iruka-sensei and the Third as the village leader refreshed them on the last two pieces of the test. "Now we will conduct the test to determine if Uzumaki Aishi and Katayanagi Akina to become genin or if they must enroll at the Academy. At the beginning of the lunch break they were both given a written test, which they passed. But there is more to being a ninja then head knowledge, much more. Now we will test their knowledge of a few very basic jutsu; their third test will be a more extensive test of their abilities, as determined through one-on-one combat. We have had a pair of volunteer opponents; many thanks to them." He paused and nodded to Kipacha and her little sister. "Iruka, if you would?" The Third stepped back into the crowd and Iruka took a step toward the girls.

"This part of the test is simple. I will call out a jutsu and you will both perform it; we will repeat the procedure twice. Ready? Bunshin no jutsu!" Iruka called. The two girls repeated the phrase; there was a poof of smoke and three clones of each girl appeared next to her. Iruka nodded and girls made the clones disappear. "Henge no jutsu!" This time when the smoke cleared Akina had turned herself into a mirror image of Aishi, who turned into Hyuuga Hinata. "Good. You both pass the second test," The girls broke into smiles and poofed back to normal. "However, the third test is the most critical of the three, the combat test. Aishi will begin with Kipacha as her opponent. Begin," Iruka said, ushering Akina toward the crowd of students.

"Well, well if it isn't the little fox girl, crawled back into town I see. This time I'll teach you your place," Kipacha smirked.

_This should be interesting_ "Bring it," Aishi said, slipping into defensive stance.

Kipacha charged Aishi without warning and slammed her fist down. Aishi flipped over her, glancing down at the dent where she once was. _So she has improved her speed, and her punches are better, too_. Aishi jumped backwards, avoiding Kipacha's full front assault of punches and kicks. Aishi caught one of her kicks and flipped her upside down and into the air. Aishi jumped and slammed her knee into her back; knocking the wind out of her. Before Aishi could finish her off she caught the smell of smoke. Aishi's eyes widened and she quickly jumped away. Kipacha's body exploded in a purple mist. _So she replaced her body and filled the fake with poison. She remembered I have a sensitive nose_. Aishi quickly did some symbols with her hands. "Haitshi no jutsu." In her hands was a breathing mask; she carefully placed it over her nose and mouth. _This won't completely stop the smoke; I'll have to finish this quickly_.

"I see you remembered my true strength lies in genjutsu and powders. There is no way a weak girl like you can ever beat me," Aishi's ears twitched to find the source of the sound. _There!_ She leaped out from the smoke and threw kunai at a tree. Kipacha soon landed nearby with a new strip on her cheek. "My face! My beautiful face! How _dare _you mar me!!" Kipacha quickly did some signs. "Saiten no jutsu!" Aishi looked around as she saw everything grow dark. _This must be on of her genjutsu_. Aishi quickly moved to her right, only getting a cut on her cheek. "Face it, there's no way you can win! You're helpless in the dark!!" _She's trying to psyche me out; I have to figure out where she is_. Aishi closed her eyes and moved her fox ears to different angles. "Now you'll pay for my face!" Aishi turned and caught Kipacha's arm, blocking the kunai aimed at her unprotected back. Aishi pushed off from her spot and back fisted Kipacha in the face. The darkness disappeared, revealing Aishi standing over Kipacha with a kunai to her throat.

"Winner, Uzumaki Aishi!" Aishi got up, took off her mask, smiled and waved to the cheering crowd. She spotted her friends in the crowd and her smile grew even bigger, but a moment later she spotted Neji and her heart sank; he was glaring at her. _Does he really hate me, now? But why does he seem a little relieved? He couldn't have been worried about me_..._could he_...

"How did you know where I was?! There was no way you could've—"

"You talk too much. When I couldn't see you I used my fox ears to follow you voice; it was easy to find you," Aishi interrupted. "You hurt your wrist when you fell; if you want I can help you bandage it."

"I don't want help from _you_," Kipacha spat in return.

"Geez, she was trying to help. No need to throw a fit over it. If you don't need help, then move; you're in the way," Akina responded.

"Don't talk to my sister like that!" mini-Kipacha ordered, pushing her way to the front and helping her sister up. "You're just the new girl; you can't boss _any_one around, especially not my sister!"

Akina shrugged. "My bad. So are you the one who's going to play with me?"

"There's no 'play' about it. Being a ninja is serious! If you think it's a game, there's no way you'll beat me!" Aishi grinned knowingly and walked over to the rest of the crowd; Kipacha huffed and followed her.

"You must not be very good at games, then. Before we star, I'm Akina, what's your name?"

"Azumi; you'd better not forget it!"

"I wouldn't dream of it." Akina curtseyed. "Well, then let's begin shall we?"

In response, Azumi drew a kunai from the holster on her right thigh and leapt backwards. Akina darted toward her, reaching to her left hip to draw a kunai of her own. Her ring clicked against the kunai handle. Akina slashed upward; there was a clang as the two kunai collided. Azumi jumped back again and threw a small capsule on the ground, where it burst on impact and sent up a smokescreen. _I hate it when they do this, I can't see. Akina's probably having fun with this; soon she'll make her move and show Azumi what the game really means_. Aishi saw several shuriken thrown out from the smokescreen. _Ah, so she's using that technique. She really is enjoying this_. Akina ran forward with a kunai when she heard Azumi move. "Check," Akina whispered.

Azumi stumbled sideways a few steps before regaining both her balance and composure. Akina drew another kunai and released a whirlwind of attacks, forcing Azumi to haphazardly block the blows. No more than four paces along the girl's slow retreat, Aishi caught the faint glimmer around chest height. Azumi's retreat sped up as she balanced herself, trying to remove herself from close combat. Before she could get away, she ran into the first of the six thin wires strung across the arena. _She's got her_.Aishi smiled, knowing the fight was already over. Akina yanked on the left side of the string, pulling the shuriken on its end out of the nearby tree, and ducked underneath the right side to stand behind Azumi. She wrapped the shuriken-headed wire around Azumi's middle, holding the shuriken itself against the girl's left side and placing the kunai against her throat. "Checkmate."

"Winner, Katayanagi Akina!"

Aishi grinned and waved to Akina, who grinned in return. Akina pocketed her kunai, then turned toward the crowd and curtseyed again. Azumi unwound herself huffily, cutting her arm in the process, and threw the shuriken on the ground. "You little brat! You think you can just show up all of a sudden and start beating up people who have been here all their lives?!"

Akina smiled at her. "Nice to meet you, Azumi-san. Maybe I'll see you around." She walked over to the kunai in the ground and pulled, dragging all six shuriken across the arena toward her. She touched the kunai to her ring again, and the wire connecting them disappeared. Sticking the weapons back in the holster, she walked back over to where Aishi stood grinning.

"Good job," Aishi said, holding out her hand for a high-five.

"You, too," Akina grinned and began scanning the crowd for familiar faces, Aishi guessed. She followed Akina's gaze to Sasuke who nodded almost imperceptibly. _Wow, usually it takes him a looong time to warm up even a little to someone. His expression wasn't even glaring, I'll have to keep an eye on this_. Aishi smiled to herself and looked back toward the Third who finished his short talk with Iruka.

"Aishi, Akina, you have proven yourselves worthy of being called Konoha ninja. You are hereby given the rank of genin and shall be put on one of the assigned teams," the Third said handing them both a hidden leaf forehead protector.

"We did it!" Aishi cheered as both girls hugged each other. Aishi attached her protector the left sleeve of her camo jacket; Akina removed the metal plate from the cloth and fastened it on the waist strap of her shuriken holster.

"Uzumaki Aishi and Katayanagi Akina will both be placed on Team 7," Aishi and Akina blinked at each other; they were a five man team. "That is all; you may go meet your Jounin sensei now,"

That's all for now, hope you liked it, please review and don't forget to click the blue button at the bottom of the screen.


	2. Becoming Team 7

Here's chapter 2 everyone, enjoy and review please.

Aishi sat on the windowsill next to Akina. _I am soooo bored, when is our sensei going to get here? We've been waiting for hours now_...

"Naruto stay still!" Sakura ordered.

"Why does _our_ sensei have to be so late? All the other teams left with their teacher already; even Iruka-sensei's gone!!" Naruto ranted, but stopped suddenly and grinned mischievously. He placed an eraser securely between the edge of the cracked door and doorframe.

"Hey, what are you doing Naruto?" Sakura demanded.

"That's what he gets for being late!"

Aishi chuckled in amusement and Akina struggled not to smile. "Aishi, can't you do something about him?" Sakura whined.

"I may be his sister and babysitter but I can't control him 24/7," Aishi grinned. "Besides I'm a bit of a prankster myself,"

"Believe it! Nee-chan's like me; she knows how to have fun!!" Naruto exclaimed hugging Aishi briefly.

"That's one way to put it, but I also know when _not_ to cause trouble," Aishi laughed as Naruto hung his head.

"Geez, whatever. I'm not involved," Sakura grumbled.

"Come on Sakura, live a little," Akina teased causing Sakura to glare bitterly at her.

"Like a Jounin's going to fall for such a simple booby trap," Sasuke muttered.

Just then a grey-haired ninja, a mask covering most of his face, slid open the door; the eraser tumbled onto his head, sending up a poof of white powder. "You fell for it!!" Naruto laughed so hard he collapsed. Aishi chuckled and Akina giggled.

"I'm so sorry, sensei," Sakura said innocently. "I tried to stop him, but Naruto…"

"And you didn't enjoy that at all?" Akina responded.

"No one asked _you_," Sakura bit back.

_Somehow I'm worried about this team. Oh well, I'm sure it'll work out once we get to know each other._

"Hmm…how can I say this?" The Jounin began. "My first impression is…I don't like you guys." Everyone sweatdroped at his bluntness.

The grey-haired Jounin led the five students to a large rooftop and gestured for them to sit. "Let's begin with some introductions,"

"What do you want to know?" Akina asked curiously.

"How about…your likes, dislikes, dreams for the future, hobbies, stuff like that,"

"Hey, hey! Why don't you introduce yourself to us first?" Naruto demanded.

"Me? My name is Hatake Kakashi. I have no desire to tell you about my likes or dislikes. Dreams for the future? Hm…Well, I have lots of hobbies,"

"So all we learned is his name?" Sakura muttered, irritated.

_Hmm Kakashi is interesting, he's gonna be fun to have a s a teacher even though he's secretive, but trying to learn the secrets is the fun part_

"Now it's your turn, from the right," Kakashi said breaking Aishi's thoughts.

"Me!! My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like cup ramen!! What I like even more is the Ichiraku ramen Iruka-sensei buys me. What I dislike is waiting three minutes for the cup ramen to cook. My hobby is to eat and compare cup ramen! My dream is to surpass the Hokage, and then have all the people of this village acknowledge my existence!!" Naruto answered enthusiastically.

"Next."

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are tons of things I hate, but I don't really like anything. And…I don't want to use the word 'dream' but…I have an ambition. The resurrection of my clan…and to kill a certain man," Sasuke answered flatly. Aishi frowned slightly. _He really has changed a lot since we were little, I miss seeing him cheerful. I wish there was something I could do to help_...

"Next, the girl in pink," Kakashi continued.

"I'm Haruno Sakura. The thing I like is…Well, the person I like is…Umm, should I say my dream for the future? Oh my!!!" Sakura buried her face in her hands embarrassed. "The thing that I dislike is Naruto. My Hobby is…" Naruto hung his head in defeat while Sakura stared at Sasuke.

"There, there," Aishi said, patting Naruto gently.

"Fox girl," Kakashi prompted.

"I'm Uzumaki Aishi. I like training, hiking through the woods, and being outside. I dislike people who judge others and who are cruel for no reason. My hobbies are writing music, playing my flute, singing and dancing. As for dreams…I have a dear friend I accidentally hurt, and I want to find a way to make it up to him. I want to protect him and the rest of my friends so it doesn't happen again. And then maybe we can be friends again…" Aishi said trying to hide her pain with a smile.

"Lastly, the girl in purple,"

"My name is Katayanagi Akina," she began.

"Any relation to Katayanagi Tatsuya?" Kakashi interrupted. Aishi looked sympathetically at Akina, knowing this was a hard subject to talk about; Akina nodded slightly. "Go on, then," Aishi looked at Kakashi and thought his face looked softer than before, but she wasn't sure.

"I like games, challenges, and jewelry- lots of jewelry. I can't stand it when people define others by their past. My last real dream died two years ago, so I guess now my goal is to find a new one. My hobbies are cooking, reading, and people-watching. The end," Akina finished.

"Okay, you all have unique personalities. I like that. We will have our first mission tomorrow," Kakashi announced.

"Mission? Yay!! What kind of mission?" Naruto asked enthusiastically.

"First, we're going to do something with just the six of us,"

"What?! What?!"

"Survival training," Kakashi answered simply. _Survival training? This'll be fun, I love these things!!_

"Why is our first mission training? We did enough training at the academy!" Sakura whined. Kakashi began laughing, an eerie sort of laughter that couldn't have held anything good.

"Hey, sensei what's so funny?"

"Well, it's just that I know you're going to be surprised when I say this. Only a third of the graduates will become genin. The rest will be sent back to the academy. This training is a very hard test with a 66 failure rate…See? I told you you'd all be surprised" Naruto and Sakura looked stunned; Sasuke remained emotionless.

"This should be fun," Akina whispered to Aishi.

"Heck yeah! I love challenges; they're fun," Aishi replied, grinning.

"But we worked so hard! What was the point of the graduation test?!" Naruto shouted.

"Oh, that? That's to select the people who have a chance to become genin. Tomorrow I will determine whether you pass or fail on the training field. Bring all your ninja equipment and meet at 5 in the morning. Oh, and don't eat breakfast, or else you'll throw up. That's all; don't be late," Kakashi instructed walking off.

"Well then, I think training is in order. Don't you Akina?" Aishi asked, standing up.

"Of course. Same rules as usual?" Akina asked, pushing herself off the ground.

"Hai! First one to find the other and defeat them in combat wins. Ready," Aishi grinned.

"Set," Akina beamed back

"Go!!" Both disappeared almost instantly to play their game of "high stakes" ninja tag.

"How'd they move so fast?!" Naruto exclaimed as Sasuke and Sakura just stared surprised.

The next day all of them stood waiting for Kakashi to show up. "He really likes being late, doesn't he?" Akina asked, twisting a stand of her hair around her finger.

"Obviously," Aishi replied, twirling a twig in the air. "The question is what kind of story will he make up?"

"Good morning," Kakashi said calmly walking up.

"You're late!!!" Naruto and Sakura yelled.

"Sorry about that you see there was this old lady and—"

"Liar!!" They both shouted again.

Kakashi cleared his throat and set a clock down on a nearby stump. "The alarm is set for noon. Your challenge is to get one of these three bells from me. Anyone who can't get a bell by noon gets no lunch. I'll tie you to one of those stumps and eat lunch in front of you," _Glad I ate this morning; nobody takes away my breakfast but me. Besides, I thought it'd be something like this_. Aishi smiled. _This should be fun_.

"Sensei?" Sakura asked. "Why are there only three bells?"

"At least two of you will be tied to the stumps. And they will also be sent back to the academy, since they failed to complete the mission. It may only be two, or it may be all five. You can use shuriken; you won't succeed unless you come at me with intent to kill."

"But sensei, that's dangerous!!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Yeah, you couldn't even dodge a chalkboard eraser," Naruto laughed.

"In the real world, those with no talent often bark the loudest. Just ignore Mr. Dead Last; we'll start when I say—"

Naruto pulled out a kunai and prepared to attack; before he could move, Kakashi stood behind him, holding the point of the kunai to the back of his neck. "Slow down, I haven't said start yet," _So he really is fast. This may be harder than I thought, but if we work together it shouldn't be a problem_. Aishi nodded to Akina who smirked and nodded back. "Bur it seems you have the will to kill me now. I think I'm starting to like you guys. We're going to start now. Ready…Start!!"

The ninja dispersed; Aishi and Akina darted to a nearby tree to confer while the others hid themselves. "So you felt it to?" Aishi asked, leaning against the tree trunk.

"Yep. He's got a ton of chakra; I think we're going to have to work together on this one," Akina replied from her perch on the branch above.

"The two of us could probably do it, but I think all five of us should work together as a team. What do you think?"

"Not sure they'll listen, but it's worth a shot," Akina shook her head skeptically.

"We have to try. Let's go find them," The two jumped away and stealthily made their way through the forest. They found Naruto first, hanging by his ankles from a tree. _That didn't take long, that means Kakashi-sensei has probably already left this area. We still have to be careful_ Akina cut the rope with a shuriken; Naruto fell head-first to the ground.

"What was that for? I could've gotten down myself!!" Naruto yelled.

"Shh! We don't know if Kakashi-sensei is around or not, we don't want to lose the element of surprise," Aishi explained. "We think it would be best if we all worked together to beat sensei; all of us are less likely to get hurt that way."

"I'm not working with Sasuke! I'll get one of those bells on my own, you'll see!! You'll see. There's no way I can lose, believe it!!" Naruto responded trying to sound cool. _I hate it when he gets like this, there's no talking him out of it_.

"Suit yourself," Aishi sighed. "Please call us if you need help, though. Come on Akina," They jumped back into the trees and had scarcely left Naruto out of sight when they heard a scream. _That was Sakura!!_ "This way!!" Both girls quickly changed their course and landed in front of a passed out Sakura. "She seems fine, she only passed out, most likely from genjutsu," Aishi said checking Sakura's vitals.

"Guess that rules her out for help, too." Akina said, holding her hand over her heart and smiled tritely. "Such a pity."

"She was probably caught completely off guard looking for Sasuke or something. I guess he's the only one capable of helping us at this point," Aishi stood up.

"Don't bother," Sasuke said, stepping out from behind a nearby tree. "I don't need help. The two of you will just get in my way,"

"But--," Aishi started.

"You sure?," Akina cut in. Sasuke stared at her flatly. "If you say so. But no complaining when it turns out you _do_ need our help, 'kay?" She smiled sweetly and swung back into the tree above her.

"But-oh fine. Be careful," Aishi quickly followed Akina. Aishi's ears twitched and both girls quickly moved out of the way of some shuriken. Aishi nodded to Akina and she disappeared while Aishi moved her ears around. _There!_ She threw a shuriken at Kakashi, but he easily moved out of the way. "I see your attempts at teamwork didn't turn out…" Kakashi said looking up from his book.

"Think so?" Aishi asked. Kakashi was suddenly tied to a tree by strong string and Akina jumped down.

"Not bad," Kakashi replied calmly.

"Really? We could say the same thing," Akina grinned and pulled out another wire; she flung it behind and above her in the same instant Aishi sent another shuriken flying at Kakashi. The body tied to the tree disappeared in a puff of smoke, and the real Kakashi jumped down to avoid the second wire. _He thinks ahead a lot, it'll be really hard to beat him, unless_... Aishi quickly did some hand signals. "Seizure no jutsu!" Suddenly many small fire butterflies appeared as Akina dragged both wires back to her, glancing at the ends. The butterflies flew at Kakashi who easily sidestepped them.

"Flashy, but ineffective," he said calmly.

"I wouldn't say that," Aishi smiled.

"Over here," Akina snickered. Kakashi turned and saw his precious book entangled in the wire; one of the butterflies landed on it, and it erupted into flames. Kakashi's eyes widened and he ran over to the ash. "I hadn't even finished yet!!!"

"Sorry," Akina said sympathetically, bowing her head in pretend reverence for the "deceased". "We'll give you some time to mourn and come back for the bells later," Aishi and Akina both walked off; Akina clicking her bracelets as loudly as possible.

The girls stopped when they were out of earshot, looked at each other, and burst out laughing. "I can't believe that worked!! Great timing, I was worried he'd notice the switch," Aishi exclaimed.

"Thanks; nice distraction. And a lovely artistic touch there at the end." Akina complimented, chinking the two silver bells together before handing one to Aishi. "Here you are. How long do you think it'll take for him to notice?"

"Don't know, probably not too…long…" Aishi trailed off as Sakura ran toward them, stopping wide-eyed near a clump of shrubbery.

"AHHH!!! His severed head!!!!" Sakura screamed and passed out again. _Eh?! Severed head!!! No- Kakashi wouldn't kill anyone! She has to be exaggerating!!!_ Aishi quickly ran to check on whoever was injured. She stopped when she rounded the bush and blinked in surprise. There before the two girls was Sasuke buried up to his head in dirt. Aishi sighed in relief. _At least he's not dead. Sakura's not that observant, is she?_

Akina giggled and walked over to him, kneeling about a foot away. "Do you want help now, or can you still handle things yourself?" Sasuke glared at her and remained silent. "Okay, we'll be going now, then." Akina stood and began walking back toward Aishi.

"Wait," Sasuke mumbled in defeat. "Just get me out of here."

"That's more like it!" Akina grinned and Aishi chuckled. _That's Akina, she always has to make tease them at least a little_.Aishi let Akina get Sasuke out while she checked on Sakura. _We don't have time to wait for her to wake up, I'll have to make her wake up_ Aishi took out some white powder and made a mark on Sakura's forehead. She pricked her finger to get a tiny dot of blood and placed the finger on the symbol. "Haiten!" The symbol glowed and disappeared as Sakura sat straight up.

"What are you doing? Where's Sasuke?" Sakura demanded.

_Wow, her thoughts don't even break a beat do they? That's impressive_.

"He's right here, and his head's perfectly intact," Akina announced, poking the back of his head to prove it.

"Sasuke-kun!!! You're alright!!" Sakura squealed, standing up and launching herself at Sasuke.

"Don't touch me," Sasuke ordered, stepping quickly away. "There's not much time until lunch; I'm going to find Kakashi."

"You're still going after the bell?" Sakura asked, surprised. "You're incredible, Sasuke-kun! But we don't have to push ourselves too hard…there's always next time." She stopped suddenly and looked away when she noticed Sasuke glaring at her.

"No. There's a man only I can kill; I am an avenger. I have to become stronger than that man, so I can't just stay around here."

Suddenly the bell rang breaking the eerie silence.

A few moments later the five students were gathered in front of Kakashi; apparently Naruto had tried to eat lunch alone during the test, so he was now tied to one of the tree stumps.

"You all look really hungry," Kakashi said coldly. "And about the training mission…You should all quit as ninja."

"Quit as ninjas?! What does that mean?!" Naruto yelled. "Sure, we couldn't get the bells, but why do we have to quit?!!"

"Because you're a bunch of punks who don't deserve to be ninja." Sasuke suddenly charged at Kakashi, interrupting the lecture. In a heartbeat Kakashi had him pinned to the ground.

"No, don't step on Sasuke-kun!!" Sakura cried.

"It's okay, Sakura; he's only pinning him. He's not in any immediate danger," Aishi said. Putting a hand on Sakura's shoulder. _But that could change quickly _Akina and Aishi were tensed ready to help their teammate if needed.

"Why do you think you were divided into teams for this mission?" Kakashi asked. "You don't understand the answer at all."

"Answer?" Naruto echoed, confused.

"Yes, the answer that helps you complete the mission,"

"Sensei, the answer is teamwork isn't it?" Aishi asked. _But if it's teamwork why are there only three bells?_

"Yes."

"And the fact that there aren't enough bells for everyone is a part of the test, right?" Akina added.

"Of course!! This test is designed to make you fight amongst yourselves. The purpose is to see if you can forget about your own interests and successfully work together. Sakura, instead of Naruto, who was right next to you, you were only thinking about Sasuke, who was far away. Naruto, you were just running around by yourself. Sasuke, you just assumed the others would get your way and tried to do everything alone. Missions are completed by a team," Kakashi lectured. "Of course, superior individual ability is important to a ninja; but what's even more important is teamwork. Aishi and Akina realized that and tried to the rest of you to help, but none of you would listen. They realized individual play disrupts the team and can put your comrades in danger…or even get them killed. For example-Sakura! Kill Naruto or Sasuke dies!!" Kakashi pulled out a kunai and placed it to Sasuke's neck. _What?! There is no way I'm gonna let that happen!!_ Aishi and Akina both prepared their weapons for the fight to come.

"You see? If a hostage is taken, you'll have tough choices that lead to death." Kakashi said, releasing Sasuke, who walked calmly back to the rest of the group. "You will be risking your lives on these missions. Look at the numerous names carved on this stone. These are ninja recognized as heroes of the village,"

"I've decided to get my name carved on that stone, too!! Hero-that's what I wanna become!" Naruto exclaimed.

"But they aren't just normal heroes…"

"Oh yeah? What kind are they?"

"They are all heroes who died for the village…" Aishi explained sadly.

"That's right; this is a memorial. My best friend's name is carved here." Kakashi paused for a moment. "I'll give you guys one more chance, but after lunch I'll make it even harder to get the bells. Those who still wish to challenge can eat lunch. Don't give any to Naruto; it's his punishment for trying to eat by himself. Anyone who gives him food will fail immediately."

"Kakashi-sensei, what about people who already have a bell?" Akina asked.

"You got a bell?" Kakashi asked skeptically.

"Yep," Akina said, holding up a slender red thread with a bell on the end.

"Akina and I both got one," Aishi added.

"So did I," Sasuke said, stepping forward.

Aishi and Akina exchanged a glance both not sure how to tell him. "That's not actually a bell…" Aishi began explaining.

"Are you calling Sasuke-kun a liar?!" Sakura asked, outraged.

"We're not saying he's lying; he's just a bit…confused," Akina answered. "Let me explain. Aishi and I got our bells right before we burned Sensei's book. Which wasn't really his book; by the way; I swapped it while Aishi distracted him. That's also when we swapped the bells; the book burning was to keep him from noticing I switched them. Sasuke got one of our substitutes. Here," She held out her hand for his bell. "Kai," The bell glowed for a moment before reverting to a small weight as the others stared in shock.

"Akina and I have learned many skills on our travels, especially alchemy and jewel summoning," Aishi explained "We used alchemy to make the weights on the end of Akina's wires look like bells," She paused, looked at Akina who nodded. "Sensei, we understand that only three people can pass, but we won't abandon our teammates. If we give you our bells back, the others can all get one, and we'll help them. If they each get one, all five of us pass; if not, we all fail."

"You realize that if you do that, you're both putting your graduations at risk," Kakashi stated.

"Yes, but we're _not_ leaving our teammates behind," Akina said, handing Kakashi both their bells as Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke stared wordlessly.

"All right," Kakashi began walking away. "Remember, don't feed Naruto!" he called as he left.

_I'm glad Kakashi agreed. Now we can all graduate. I know it means a lot for everyone._

"N-nee-chan…Why did you do that?" Naruto asked.

"Because comrades don't leave their friends alone. Now open up," Aishi instructed.

As Sakura began to protest, Sasuke walked over to Akina. Aishi watched the pair warily, knowing this could turn out very badly. "I don't need help from any of you. If it hadn't been for you I would've gotten a bell on my own."

"Because you're just so amazing you can completely miss the point of all of this, right?" Akina asked, ignoring his icy glare.

"I told you before, I'm not like the rest of you. I'm an avenger. The whole point of my life is to kill a certain person. Working with other people will only slow me down,"

"Are you saying that your _ever-so-_tragic past makes you better than us?" Akina asked, her expression icing over. Aishi stared in horror. _That's a really bad nerve for Akina. What's wrong with Sasuke? Could he possibly have changed this much? Akina's past is so much like his already_...

"Yes," he answered simply.

"Why you…" Akina aimed a hard punch at the right side of his face; he deftly caught it, but the force pushed him back a few steps regardless. Sakura jumped up and tried to run to Sasuke's aid; Aishi grabbed her arm to keep her from being killed in the crossfire. "There's more to a person than their past, and you don't know anything about me anyway; don't ever say you're better than me because of what you've been through, ever." Aishi could barely hear her words, but the deadliness in them almost made her shiver.

"I know enough about you to know you're nothing like me. You're just a spoiled, moody know-it-all who doesn't know how to mind her own business."

Before Aishi could react Akina slammed her left fist into the underside of his jaw, sending him a few inches off the ground, and pushed against him with her right hand to free herself from his hold. He landed with a loud thump.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura gasped, freeing herself from Aishi's grasp and running over to him. "Are you alright?"

"Don't _touch_ me," he said.

"Bastard. You say you're nothing like me, but you're wrong. The problem is we're too much alike. But if I ever get as stuck up as you are, I hope someone kills me on the spot."

"Akina!" Aishi scolded, Naruto's lunch all but forgotten. "I don't agree with Sasuke, and I understand why you're so upset, but we're supposed to be working together without fighting."

"I was more than willing to work with everybody else! He's the idiot who insisted on doing everything alone!"

"You're the one who punched me," Sasuke pointed out coldly, rubbing his jaw.

"I wouldn't have punched you if you hadn't said you're better than the rest of the world!"

Aishi twitched from the pain in her ears and her annoyance. "Children!" Aishi said sternly. "_Both_ of you apologize, then come eat lunch. Once everyone's eaten we're all going to work _together_ to get the bells."

"Do I have to apologize?" Akina asked sulkily.

"Yes."

"Fine." Akina sighed in defeat. "Sorry," she and Sasuke said simultaneously, both glaring intensely.

_This is going to be harder than I thought, but I'm sure we'll find a way to work together eventually_. "Thank you, now come eat while I feed Naruto."

"Yes ma'am…" Akina mumbled.

"Aishi, if you feed Naruto, you'll be disqualified!" Sakura objected.

"Naruto, open up," Aishi said, ignoring Sakura.

"Sasuke…I'm sorry I hit you," Aishi turned her head when she heard the whisper and saw Akina looking at the ground. "What you said made me really angry, but it didn't give me any right to punch you. So, I apologize."

"Whatever," Sasuke answered, less than friendly.

_At least it's a small improvement, but an improvement none the less_._ Their relationship will just take a little longer than most, but I'm sure they'll get there eventually_.

Her thoughts were broken by a sudden puff of smoke; when it cleared a very angry Kakashi stood in front of them.

"You guys…" he began harshly. "…pass."

_Eh? We passed_... Aishi and Akina looked at each other in surprise then back at Kakashi. It looked like he was grinning under his mask, but it was kind of hard to tell.

"You guys are the first to pass. Everyone else just did whatever I told them, but a ninja must see underneath the underneath. Those who break the rules and codes of the ninja world are trash…But those who don't take care of their comrades are less than trash. That ends the mission; all of you pass. Starting tomorrow we are officially Team 7. Let's go!" Kakashi began walking in the other direction. "Oh, and Akina? Try to avoid hitting Sasuke in the future."

"Yes sir." Akina answered. From her half-smirk Aishi could tell she'd heard the amusement in their teacher's voice as well.

"He seems interesting, don't you think?" Aishi asked as she untied Naruto, who instantly followed Sasuke and Sakura after their teacher.

"Yeah," Akina agreed. "He knew Nii-san."

"Are you okay?" Aishi asked, concerned.

"I think so. Sorry I lost it earlier."

"It's okay, everyone loses it from time to time. At least you didn't break anything this time," Aishi joked. "If you're sure you're okay, let's catch up with everyone else. Come on!" _This will be an interesting team_. Aishi smiled and ran after them, Akina at her heels.

That's all hope you liked it, please click the blue button at the bottom of your screen now.


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